Still So Distant
by light the fire
Summary: Rikku is kidnapped.
1. Determination

Just a quick little note: this used to be a humor fic, but I decided to rewrite it because it just wasn't turning out the way I wanted it to. So now the title really doesn't go with the story – it went with the old version.

**Chapter 1 : Determination**

It was supposed to be another jolly good day in the life of Yuna and her guardians. Not wanting to face the cold of Mt. Gagazet yet, despite Kimahri's constant protests, they awoke early in the morning, hoping to enjoy the last somewhat cheerful place of Yuna's pilgrimage. Unfortunately for them, nothing ever went the way they planned. Well, what kind of a story would this be if they did? And so quickly, things took a swerve for the worse by noon.

After searching for a Coeurl to capture for the monster arena guy, Tidus encountered the chocobo trainer. Unbeknownst to him and his companions, this sadistic woman was notorious for driving hundreds of people insane with just a mere chocobo riding competition. He accepted; Tidus was never one to turn away from a challenge. Besides, he figured it would be a cinch compared to the other things he had been forced to do on the pilgrimage, including winning a blitzball game on what was possibly the worst team he had ever come across. _What a nightmare that was_, he thought, shuddering violently.

As the chocobo woman counted down to the start of the race, Tidus gripped the reins tighter, and out of the corner of his eye saw his companions sitting down, apparently amused. Rikku cheered, and gave him a big smile. Tidus returned it, gaining more confidence and making his already swelled head grow even larger.

"One!" the chocobo trainer shouted, and the two set off on the course. Tidus misjudged the distance and speed of quite a few birds, not to mention his aim was awful, and he ended up with an abysmal time. "Come on, you can do better than that!" the chocobo trainer taunted. "Or are you too wimpy to try again?"

Tidus's confidence level dropped quite a bit, which really wasn't a bad thing considering he had been quite the egotistical one. But he remained persistent as ever, and agreed to try again. He failed. Then tried again. Failed again. And again. Etc.

Rikku, still cheering him on after three and a half hours, was the only one who seemed to be remotely alive. Wakka lay sprawled on the grass facedown, while Auron had stuck his sword in the ground and was leaning against it, sound asleep. Lulu was cuddled up with one of her moogles, and even Yuna had given up and was resting against Kimahri's shoulder. Rikku, while trying to keep up her upbeat attitude in order to cheer on Tidus, felt an unexpected spurt of anger explode inside her. She had always wondered why Tidus liked Yuna rather than herself. After all, she was the one he met first. She was the one who saved him from the crazy cannibalistic thing back in the ruins. She was the one that prevented the rest of the Al Bhed from slicing him up and feeding him to the fishies. She was the one that kept him alive on the ship … accompanying him, feeding him, being his only friend. If she knew it would turn out this way, Tidus falling for her cousin, and vice versa, she would have savored those moments alone with him. _Didn't it even occur to him that there was a reason I came back into his life? That it wasn't just a coincidence, more like a sign, that I just happened to be Yuna's cousin, bringing us together again? Then again_, she thought miserably, _he's probably looking at it the opposite way_. But this was unacceptable to her. She could tell Tidus was trying so hard to get that Sun Sigil; he needed encouragement. Yuna couldn't even provide that for him. Sure, it had been a long time, but if she could keep going after this long, why couldn't her cousin?

After another twenty minutes passed by like an eternity, Tidus had accomplished his goal. "I'VE DONE IT! In your face you stupid chocobo lover!" He ran back to the group, and by this time everyone had been shaken out of their daze by his shouts. Rikku gave him a huge hug, as did Yuna. As they were celebrating, Kimahri felt a shadow draw over him. "Kimahri sense danger."

Everyone else looked around, alarmed, to see a familiar looking creature flying towards them from the sky …


	2. Kidnapped!

whoa it's been a while since i've updated this thing. exactly one year since i posted the first version. but now that winter break has started, i plan on finishing this once and for all. and this is completely random, but i happen to be eating a popsicle right now and i feel like sharing the riddle with you children out there. so, what do windows bring when they go out in the sun? answer's at the end ;)

**Chapter 2 : Kidnapped!**

Straining their eyes against the sun, the group glanced upwards at the cloudless sky. In a flash of blinding light, Bahamut swooped down in front of them.

At first, everyone was confused about why Yuna would summon an aeon when it was perfectly safe, but at second glance, they noticed it wasn't Yuna's aeon; this Bahamut was darker. A sense of foreboding grew in Tidus' mind, and he jumped forward, slashing his Brotherhood through Bahamut's tough covering. Bahamut counterattacked, wounding Tidus' left leg. He collapsed in pain, but Rikku rushed forward quickly, throwing him a hi-potion, which Tidus gladly took. "Thanks! I owe you one!" Tidus said, as his grimace was replaced with a grateful smile. Everyone began hacking away at the aeon, while Rikku rummaged through her pack for a flash bomb to give themselves a chance to run for it. Unfortunately, Lulu became knocked out at a critical moment, and everyone got distracted; searching frantically for a phoenix down. Rikku finally located a flash bomb, but just as she whipped it out, Bahamut used Impulse, momentarily disabling everyone. Sensing their vulnerability, Bahamut rasped Rikku between his claws and flew off south towards Macalania.

"No!" Tidus shouted, attempting to run after them, but he was too weak. Everyone else was in a similar state; they were all gripping their sides, pain written all over their faces in a nice big font.

"There's no use trying to go after them like this," Wakka gasped. Yuna cast Curaga on everyone, easing their pain a bit. At least they were able to walk now.

But this didn't satisfy our ever-stubborn hero Tidus. "What do you mean we don't go after her? Rikku's in danger! We have to save her!"

"Look at us, Tidus. Look at yourself," Lulu replied calmly. "We're in no condition to go chasing after anyone right now, even if it's Rikku."

Tidus looked at her in utter disbelief. Instead of responding, he turned to face Yuna. "You'll come with me, right? We have to save your cousin! Who knows what will happen to her! Or what if something's already happened!"

Yuna thought for a moment, and feeling pressure from Auron's stare, came up with her decision quickly. "I'm sorry Tidus. I agree with Lulu. I mean, I don't think we have the strength right now to take down fiends. I think the best plan would be to rest at the inn and leave first thing tomorrow morning for Macalania."

Tidus was stunned. "She's your cousin, Yuna. Your family. Doesn't that matter to you?"

"Of course I care about her!" Yuna replied angrily and defensively. "But just take a look at us! We'll be killed before we step three feet into Macalania!"

By now, Tidus had had enough. "You wouldn't risk your life to save Rikku? Well I will! She saved my life once and I'd do the same for her! I would do the same for any of you!" He turned and half-limped, half-ran off towards Macalania, his heart bursting with anger, disappointment, and apprehension.

Rikku awoke and found herself bound to a lightning tower in the Thunder Plains. "No," she whispered, "W-Why am I here again!" She tried to remember what happened, rewinding through her memories like a videotape. As she recalled the battle with Bahamut, she felt spurts of pain shoot throughout her body. The pain and the fact that she was in the Thunder Plains, apparently alone, made her feel miserable like never before. "Owie…"

She heard someone approaching in the distance, their footsteps echoing across the plains. She hesitated, unsure of whether to ask for help or not in case that person turned out to be an Al Bhed hater, but then she realized that her situation couldn't really get any worse. "HELP!" she screamed, hoping that person would be nice enough to help her to the inn. However, as the figure approached closer, she was struck with surprise when she realized who it was.

"Dona? What are you doing here? Well whatever, can you help me out of these?" Rikku frantically tilted her head towards the ropes around her hands.

However, to Rikku's surprise yet again, Dona chuckled softly. "Silly girl. Don't you see it yet? Who else would have summoned that aeon?"

Rikku narrowed her eyes in confusion. "But why…? I've never done anything to you, you meanie!"

"Don't be so self-centered, little girl. It's not all about you. I had to kidnap you to lure your precious cousin here. But not to worry, I won't hurt you unless you force me to."

"No!" Rikku's eyes widened to the size of Tidus' ego. Trust me when I say that's pretty damn big. "Not Yunie! What do you want with her? Why!"

A mixture of resentment and disgust crossed Dona's face, twisting her features, making her appear remarkably like a particularly ugly horse. "Everyone in Spira is always 'Yuna this, Yuna that'. And why? All because her father is famous. Personally, I don't believe that's a legitimate reason to be treated above the rest of us. I'm doing this for the sake of all the summoners in Spira, including myself, who are just as well-qualified, if not more."

answer : shades! personally, i thought it was going to be something about sunglasses or something, since windows are made of glass and all. but i guess i'm just dumb. wow that was completely irrelevant to the story.


	3. Yuna's Thoughts

Attention returning readers : please reread chapter 2 because I added a little something! I was originally going to include it in this chapter, but I decided it would fit better there.

**Chapter 3 : Yuna's Thoughts**

Yuna awoke at the inn, and after a stretch and a yawn, arose to get ready for the day ahead of her. When she realized exactly what the task at hand was, she sat back down on the bed, putting her face in her hands. _Why did Tidus have to run off like that? And what's happened to Rikku?_ She had spent hours lying awake last night, pondering these thoughts. She had felt so torn yesterday when Tidus asked her to come with him to rescue Rikku. Thirty-five percent of her was so tired and just wanted to rest like everybody else. At the same time, sixty-five percent of her was screaming how important Rikku was to her. Even though she knew what the right thing to do was, she let everybody get the best of her again. _I must do what everyone wants, not just what I want_, she reminded herself again. She lived by these words when she resolved to marry Seymour, and she knew she had to stay true to her words even now.

A knock on the door sounded, shaking Yuna out of her thoughts. "Come in!"

Lulu entered, looking concerned. "Have you rested enough, Yuna? Or do you need more time?"

"I'm fine, Lulu. I'll be out soon. I just need a moment to gather my things together."

"Alright Yuna. We'll be outside, just come out whenever you're ready." Lulu left, gently closing the door behind her.

Sighing, Yuna put on her shoes and began hoping against hope that Rikku was still alive. She felt so …guilty. Ever since she joined the pilgrimage, Rikku (along with Tidus) had spent day after day trying to think of a way to save her life. And now the roles were switched; it was Rikku in danger, and who knows where Tidus had gone. Somehow, she felt responsible. _If only I didn't listen to Auron and Lulu…_

She stepped outside, where everyone was waiting patiently. "We better leave now; we should get an early start since we don't have any idea where they are." Everyone else nodded in agreement except for Auron.

"Yuna, are you sure about this? If you go looking for Rikku, it's highly likely that your life will be put it danger. And that could lead to even bigger problems. Besides, you don't think Tidus can handle himself? Sure, he's still an amateur, but he's not the crybaby he used to be."

"I'm sorry, Sir Auron, but I can't go on with my pilgrimage knowing that two of my closest friends might be hurt, or even dead. I know my duty as a summoner is to continue with my journey, but I value my friends more than anything else. And my uncle Cid would never forgive me, since it's my fault that Rikku has to come on this journey, and if anything were to happen to his daughter, well…"

"Very well. As you wish. Everyone, be on guard at all times. We head for Macalania." Auron turned and led the way, everyone else following closely.

After about forty-five minutes, the group reached the edge of Macalania Forest. Stopping for a short break at the sphere globe, Yuna sat down under a nearby tree, left alone with her thoughts. _Why does everything have to happen to me? Killing Seymour…the trial…being hated by all of Spira…and now losing my cousin and…you, Tidus. After that night in the lake, you never spoke of it again…why? I know we can't consider ourselves a couple, but you're more than just a friend to me…_

Frustrated and confused, Yuna kicked the dirt and saw Wakka heading towards her. She did her best to look nonchalant, which was a breeze considering all the practice she had with smiling and laughing. "Yes, Wakka?"

"Sir Auron says we're leaving now. You're ready, ya?"

"Yes, I'm ready." Yuna stood up, brushing the dirt off her skirt.

"Then let's go find them, ya? I've got to find my star player, and don't tell her, but I was starting to get kinda fond of Rikku…"

And the group started off again. With each step she took, Yuna got more and more afraid. _They should be here, right? I'm positive I saw Bahamut fly this way. Why haven't we found them yet! What if they're…no! I can't think like that! _Quickening her pace with a newfound determination, a single thought ran through Yuna's mind over and over again. _I must save them. I must save them…_

Yuna and company were able to make much better time than Tidus, considering there were five of them, including Auron, who pretty much hacked through every fiend in sight. In less than an hour, they reached the boundary between Macalania Forest and the Thunder Plains.

Yuna felt a sinking feeling in her stomach as they exited the forest. _Where are they! There was no trace of them at all in Macalania…where could they be?_

Lulu noticed the anxiety on Yuna's face, and put an arm around her shoulders. "Yuna, don't worry. We've only been looking for about an hour. Don't give up hope yet. We've still got plenty of places to look."

"You're right Lulu… thank you." Blinking back tears, Yuna continued down the path to the Thunder Plains. _Tidus … you promised me you'd always be with me. And Rikku … oh, Cid would never forgive me …_


End file.
